bike culture blogged

Cinelli Grammo, ti dye, and a titanium mug

The Cinelli Grammo stem was made in the 1990s. Formed from folded and welded sheet titanium, it is one of the most distinctive designs ever made. Early versions were quill stems for the 26.4mm traditional Cinelli standard handlebar diameter; later versions had the more common 26.0mm clamp. Less common were Pista (quill, 67deg rather than 72deg extension), mtb (quill, 25.4mm clamp) and Ahead versions for road (1” and less commonly 1-1/8”). The most striking version was the Art series of anodized finishes; there were three different patterns: purple/blue/pink stripes, pink/gold tiger, and a pink/gold/blue cloud. Titanium anodizing is a process where the titanium is exposed to a high voltage while immersed in electrolytic solution; the colour is determined by depth of the oxide layer which is dependent on voltage used.

I recently acquired a Grammo Art for my 1996 Bianchi EL/OS; the bike is just filthy posh now. About the same time I also got a titanium mug from Snow Peak. I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t realize that they were available in anodized titanium before I ordered. However, maybe I can try a little DIY anodizing: